Opening remarks

The Environmental Atlas of the Beaufort Coastlands has been prepared by staff of the Geological Survey of Canada in collaboration with several external agencies, including Environment Canada, Fisheries and Oceans Canada, Natural Resources Canada, Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, the Canadian Museum of Civilization, and the National Energy Board of Canada. The Canadian Hydrographic Service, the Canadian Wildlife Service, Meteorological Service of Canada, and the Canada Centre for Remote Sensing have also contributed. This Atlas is supplemental to the Marine Science Atlas of the Beaufort Sea (Vol. 1 Sediments; Vol. 2 Geology and Geophysics) produced by the Geological Survey of Canada. It provides information on the environment and its protection, thus supporting the efforts of those developing and harvesting the natural resources, and helping to ensure that an awareness for the preservation of a native way of life is maintained.

This Atlas provides background on the physical environment. Furthermore, it is designed to show the relationship of wildlife to the physical aspects of the coastlands, with a view toward understanding the former as a sustainable resource for the people of the region.

A major concern in the western Arctic region of Canada is the impact that global warming will have on the environment. This Atlas presents some of the baseline information to which future changes may be compared. The Atlas also highlights many environmental aspects, including permafrost, coastal erosion and wildlife, that may be particularly sensitive to climatic changes.

Excerpts of selected topics covered in the Atlas are presented in this web site. If you require further information, please feel free to contact us.

Who will benefit from this Atlas?

A compendium of background information on the environment and the physical setting will be required to support oil and gas development, and to address environmental issues. Resource developers, exploration companies, scientists and engineers, various technical workers, government agencies, schools and the public - particularly in the northern communities - will find this Atlas a valuable and workable source of information on the region.

Acknowledgements

B.R. Pelletier
Geological Survey of Canada